


The Big Bad Wolf

by SelenaEstella



Category: Rune Factory (Video Games)
Genre: Case Fic, Gen, Humor, Light Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-02
Updated: 2017-01-02
Packaged: 2018-09-14 05:49:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,183
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9164845
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SelenaEstella/pseuds/SelenaEstella
Summary: Are you sure you know what your pets are doing when you're out adventuring?A fic written in the style of a RF4 town event.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I tried to write this in the same sort of style as the Town Events in the games. I wish the pets were acknowledged more in Rune Factory, there's so much untapped potential there.
> 
> Enjoy!

In Turnip Barn, a Silver Wolf raised her shaggy head. Her jaws split into a wide yawn, tongue lolling as she blinked in the morning light. Shaking off sleep, the wolf stretched stiffly, still a little worn out from the day before, and got to her feet. Silver's packmates--a Blood Panther, an Elefun, and a Duck, all different but packmates just the same--were still sleeping soundly.

Silver Wolf was tired, too. But she was also worried.

Where was Master?

Ears pricked, Silver put her nose to the ground and searched for a trail. She quickly picked up her master's scent and followed it onto the rich fields, where turnips and cucumbers and strawberries grew.

Mm, strawberries...

Licking juice off her teeth, Silver Wolf once again put her nose to the earth and sniffed her way towards the palace. The lingering smell of Dragon crept from the large archway and Silver skirted the edge of the field, hackles raised. She followed a different, stronger trail through a smaller doorway, and into a room that smelled mostly of Master.

Silver wagged her tail lightly as she looked hopefully around the room, trotting over to the bed.

Master wasn't there.

Silver Wolf looked towards the closed doors, tail tucking between her legs as she considered. Cautious, she crossed the room and tried the doors, giving a small yelp of surprise when they swung open.

The courtyard was deserted, but large. Silver Wolf looked around and saw no cover, just open space. Silver sniffed the air and took in water, plants, birds... and people. Unfamiliar people, humans and elves and dwarves and some that were almost human, almost monster, but not quite either.

Silver ducked her head and growled to herself, ears pricking sharply at every noise. She stuck close to the wall and sniffed along the ground, moving away from the Dragon room and towards a flight of downward stairs. Passing a small building, Silver hesitated, and sniffed. The scent was almost overpowering, flowers of every kind filling the air. Could Master's smell be hidden underneath them?

Silver listened hard and heard nothing. Pawing at the door again, Silver entered when it swung open.

The smell was even stronger inside, cloying and sickly sweet, mixed in the with scent of one of those not-quite-human people. Hackles raised and head low, Silver followed the traces of Master she could pick up, but they didn't lead very far.

"Oh!!"

Silver span around, saw the elf on the stairs, and bolted onto the street. She splashed haphazardly into a stream before scrambling back up the flight of stairs and running across the plaza, ears flat against her scalp.

Silver came to an unsteady halt outside a different building. She recognised this one, but not in a pleasant way--Master had been here many times, and his scent was strong under the medicine and old blood.

Silver whined softly and nosed the door open, poking her head inside. The smells were even stronger inside and made her nose twitch.

Silver approached the white screen and looked cautiously around. She went to the bed where her Master sometimes lay, frighteningly still, while bandages were wrapped around his wounds and potions dripped down his throat.

The bed was empty.

Silver got up on her hind legs and propped her front paws on the white covers, sniffing the pillow. All fresh and clean, no sign of Master... both a relief and a disappointment.

"Goodness!"

Silver jumped, eyes flicking to the human who stood by the screen. Pushing off the bed, Silver backed away.

"Jones!" the human called, "Jones, come here!"

Silver bared her teeth as another human appeared, touching the female gently as he looked at Silver. These humans... they helped Master... But Master wasn't here...

"Now, now," Nancy said kindly. A Silver Wolf was a frightening thing indeed, but Nancy kep calm for Jones’ sake. "You don't look hurt, and I'm afraid we can't really have any animals in here." Nancy and Jones moved slowly out of the way, so that they were no longer blocking the exit, and hoped that the wolf left by itself.

Silver lowered her head and kept close to the wall as she hurried for the door. These humans wouldn't help--she'd find Master on her own.

Back in the open air, Silver resumed sniffing at the ground. Master's trail was fainter here, but present still, present in everything, and leading further up the path. Silver passed a building that reeked of iron and rust, giving it a wide berth, and found herself on a wider road.

Before her was another building. It _stank_ of unfamiliar people.

Master's scent lay muted beneath the many layers. Silver edged forward and followed it to the doors, pushing them open the smallest possible amount and squeezing through the gap.

The inside smelled of soap, and foreign flavours Silver had never experienced before. Somewhere, water gushed, and movement could be heard from upstairs. To the left, strange-looking men in strange-smelling clothes were chatting to each other. To the right, a human female stood behind the counter, intently watching something in her hands, eyes flicking up and down.

Silver steeled herself before running forward, low to the ground, up some steps and around the corner. She could hear water running close by, great gushes of it. Curiosity took over for a second and Silver nosed through the nearest doorway, finding a shallow pool of water a few feet away.

" _Wolf!_ " someone screamed. " _There's a wolf in the bath!!_ "

Silver yanked her head back and span around, racing for the exit only to collide head-first with something halfway down the stairs.

Xiao Pai had been running towards the baths, only to hit something halfway there. "I'm sorry!" she said automatically, blinking in surprise as the huge wolf picked itself up and kept running.

People yelled and screamed as Silver passed, running until the world ended in a stone wall and nothing but open air lay below. Calming a little, Silver poked her head through the low pillars, and breathed. The world was very big…

Master led her, always, but Master wasn’t there.

The wind shifted, bringing smells from the town back towards her. Animals, people, food...

Silver whined softly to herself and pulled her head back from between the pillars. Be brave. She must be brave, like Master. Nose back to the cobblestones, Silver quickly picked up the familiar scent and followed it back along the road she'd run down, over pink and purple flagstones, past shocked gasps and whispers, through every other smell the town had to offer, until it abruptly ceased.

The ground ended sharply at Silver's feet. Wind whipped her fur and grand oak trees waved from miles below.

Silver sat down. They sky lay before her, empty except for clouds.

Master had been here not long ago. She remembered now, stepping onto wooden planks that moved beneath her feet.

Master would come back here.

Silver would wait.

* * *

 Forte jogged into the flower store, one hand on her sword hilt. "What's this about a wolf?" she asked. Amber was fluttering near the ceiling, looking worried. Illuminata looked slightly shaken but otherwise fine.

"Something very mysterious has happened!" she declared, marching towards Forte. "I came down into the shop this morning, and there was a wolf standing at the counter!"

"A wolf... at the counter..." Forte struggled somewhat to visualize it.

Illuminata nodded vigorously. "Incredibly suspicious! And it ran off before I found out what it wanted."

"R-ran off??" Forte gasped. "Then there could be a wild wolf loose in Selphia!" Forte frowned to herself. "Perhaps we'd best tell everyone to stay inside... In any case, we'll have to look for it."

"YES!!" Illuminata shouted, so loudly that Forte swore the ceiling trembled. "We will begin the search at once!" Before Forte could even open her mouth, Illuminata was gone.

"Stay here," Forte ordered Amber, who nodded quickly. Forte ran onto the street but Illuminata was nowhere in sight. Jogging back towards the plaza Forte thought it best to alert Volkannon to the situation, only to be intercepted halfway there by a panicked looking Jones.

"Forte!" he panted, "there was a wolf in the clinic!"

"The clinic too?!" Forte demanded.

Jones went pale for a moment. "There's another one??"

"You shouldn't be out here," Forte said firmly. "Go into the castle, inform Volkannon of the situation, and stay with him."

"Alright," said Jones, "but I must get Nancy first!"

"Wait!" Forte shouted, but it was too late. For a brief moment she pinched the bridge of her nose and wondered how on earth she should handle this.

"Knight!" someone called. Forte looked up sharply to see a group of tourists running towards her. Forte quickly composed herself. "Is it true that there are vicious wolves loose in Selphia?!" one of them yelled.

"Calm down," Forte said sternly, "it is true that there have been alleged sightings, however--"

"I saw one in the bath house!" a man screamed, bolting onto the plaza wearing nothing but a towel. "It attacked the girl who works there!!"

Shocked gasps from the crowd. "Xiao Pai...!" Forte breathed.

She drew her sword.

"Knight, what do we do?"

"How will we keep safe??"

"I'm scared!"

"Wait in the palace," Forte ordered. "I will take care of everything."

She ran towards the bath house.

On the way there, she passed two fur traders being rigorously interrogated by Illuminata. Deciding she'd leave it for later, the knight continued on.

"Forte!"

"Xiao Pai!"

Forte ran to the girl and looked her up and down, feeling relief wash over her when no injuries could be seen. "What happened? Are you alright?"

"Yes, it seems I am fine." Xiao Pai was a little rumpled but nothing more. "A customer screamed, so I ran for them, but hit something on the stairs... I thought it was a customer at first!"

"But you're alright?" Forte confirmed.

"Yes, yes!" Xiao Pai said happily. "Since I am used to falling over."

"And... was it a wolf?" Forte asked, skeptical again.

"Hmm..." Xiao Pai frowned as she thought, looking down. "It was big and on four legs, so I am guessing... ah!"

"What is it??" Was she hurt after all?!

"Look at this!" Xiao Pai plucked something off her dress and held it out. Forte examined it closely.

It was a bright blue hair.

"This could be from a wolf!" she exclaimed, and Xiao Pai nodded with wide eyes. "Which way did it--?"

A stranger’s voice, loud and panicked. " _Look!!_ "

Forte turned towards the restaurant, and stared. The first thing she saw was a woman perched on top of the lobster statues.

The second she saw thing was a wolf.

It was making its way quickly down the road, sniffing the ground as it went, following a trail. Left and right, frightened tourists backed out of its way with strangled gasps and muffled screams.

"I think I will get Mama." said Xiao Pai, scurrying into the Bell Inn. Forte gripped her sword and readied herself--Silver Wolves were far more dangerous than the Beetles and Orcs in the Selphia Plains. It could do serious damage. It could kill her. But Forte was the Dragon Knight, and she would die to protect her town.

The wolf, however, didn't growl or lunge at her. In fact it didn't look up at all, simply following its nose onto the airship dock.

Forte edged nearer, watching as the wolf sniffed a few more times, peered over the edge, and... stopped. Sat down. Didn't move.

What the...?

A small crowd had gathered behind Forte as word spread and people’s intrigue overcame their fear. Arthur, Doug and Meg were to Forte’s right; Keil, Vishnal and Clorica to her left.

“What’s it _doing?_ ” Meg whispered. The wolf’s ears twitched towards them, but the rest of it didn’t move.

Porcoline popped up next to Margaret. “Maybe it’s hungry!” he sang. “We should provide it a delicious meal!”

“It… it might be a good idea to try taming it, rather than fight it,” Vishnal said hesitantly.

“No way!” Doug hissed, “that thing’ll eat your arm with the food!”

Forte pursed her lips and thought. The wolf was just an animal, not malicious, and it hadn’t truly hurt Xiao Pai. However, if their plan didn’t work, far more damage would be done if the wolf ran wild. She could strike quickly while its back was turned. But that would guarantee violence if she failed. Moreover… Forte was a knight. She had honour. She disliked the notion of striking an opponent from behind.

“I will try to feed it,” she said quietly, and slowly sheathed her sword.

“Excellent~! I have many dishes--”

Forte grabbed the first one Porcoline held up, a grilled fish dish, and crept towards the wolf with the food outstretched. It followed her with its ears, not its eyes, and Forte could tell that it was perfectly aware of her every move. She positioned herself parallel to the monster and slide the dish the last few feet towards the wolf.

It looked at the food as it gently bumped its foreleg.

Forte gripped her sword.

The crowd held its breath.

Nothing happened. The wolf went back to watching the horizon.

What the…?

Forte backed away again and shared a mystified look with Kiel.

“It’s dangerous!” someone shouted from the crowd, “kill it already!”

“Let’s wait a moment,” Arthur said calmly, addressing the crowd. “We will decide on the safest solution.”

“If we launch a group attack,” Forte murmured, mostly to herself, “we will have a far higher chance of success...”

“Maybe,” Vishnal suggested, “we should clear the area, and try escorting it out of Selphia?”

“I’ll fight by your side if you need me to, Forte!” Meg vowed.

“Me too!” said Doug. “The Sechs lands have wolves a bit like this and they are _vicious_.”

“Well,” said Arthur, “clearing the area seems like a good place to start. Excuse me, everyone…”

“It’s a shame we can’t tame it,” Kiel mused, “it’d be cool to have a pet wolf.”

Clorica was asleep.

“Just push it off the edge!” someone yelled.

The crowd was muttering, unsettled, many still after a fight and refusing to listen to Arthur. Forte steeled herself to make a decision, unable to take her eyes off the wolf, which had barely moved. Vishnal joined Arthur in talking the crowd down, but unfortunately, Margaret was plucking at her harp in a sinister motion and was clearly ready for combat. If she waited much longer, Forte might not have a choice after all...

“Guys…? What’s going on?” asked Frey.

The wolf moved at last, so quickly Forte barely saw it. In a streak of blue it shot towards the crowd and Forte drew her sword.

It jumped clean over her head.

Shocked and horrified, Forte span around. The wolf had leapt upon Frey, its massive paws on her slims shoulders, and was _viciously_ …

uh...

licking her face…?

Frey was _laughing_ , arms buried in fur as she took most of the monster’s weight. “Hello there, hello, hello,” said said, in the same way someone would talk to a child, “did you miss me? Did you?” Eventually Frey poked her head around the bulk of the wolf’s body, looking curiously at Forte with the one eye that was visible. “What’s going on?” she asked, voice slightly muffled.

“The wolf…” Forte managed weakly, “the wolf… is yours?”

“Yes?” said Frey, nonplussed. The wolf got down from her shoulders and sat on Frey’s feet instead, tongue lolling and tail wagging as she scratched it fondly behind the ear.

“Your highness!” Volkanon came jogging into view, accompanied by another small crowd of tourists, including the one in the bath towel. “The wolf--you have managed to tame it??”

Frey, still looking baffled, took in the scene--her friends, the tourists, and the abandoned dish by the airship, which had come back automatically once Frey used Return. She looked at Silver, who was about as far from dangerous as a Silver Wolf could be. “Well, I found her in Sechs territory a while ago.” Frey smiled sunnily. “She was starving, so I fed her, and she decided to stick with me!”

“But…” Towel-Tourist croaked, “but it attacked that girl…”

“What is this?” Xiao Pai asked, returning to the scene with Lin Fa in tow. “I am fine, yes?”

“My, you’re lovely aren’t you?” said Lin Fa, walking straight over to the wolf and letting it sniff her hand. She petted it for a moment before turning sharply to Frey. “Princess! You should know better--wolves are prone to separation anxiety. No wonder she tried to look for you!”

“O-oh,” Frey had the grace to look sheepish. “Is that what happened?”

“Alright!” said Arthur, clapping his hands to get the crowd’s attention. “I think everything’s settled here! No murderous wolves, just one lost pet.”

Most of the crowd heaved a sigh of relief. Some of the tourists looked disappointed. Many craned their necks as they were ushered away, Vishnal and Volkanon talking loudly about other attractions Selphia had to offer as they efficiently cleared the scene.

Clorica, still asleep, escorted Towel-Tourist back to the bathhouse.

“I’ve done it!” Illuminata shouted, literally dragging the fur traders along with her. “These two fiends disguised themselves as a wolf in order t-to...” She saw Frey. She saw the wolf. She trailed off.

“That isn’t quite the case, Illuminata,” said Arthur, quickly diving in. “However, I recognise this pair from a list of traders suspected of selling unapproved and possibly dangerous wares, so thank you for your help.”

“Shall I escort them to your office, Arthur?” Forte offered, eager to do something useful at last.

“That would be perfect, Forte.”

“...Well that’s one thing I didn’t expect,” said Doug, watching the five walk away.

Frey bit her lip. “I’m sorry guys,” she said. “It’s just I was _so close_ to beating Rune Prana 1, but Silver was really tired and pretty hurt. I healed her but thought it’d be best to send her home for the night… I didn’t think anything like this would happen!”

“It’s unusual for monsters to leave their barns when they aren’t working,” Lin Fa said gently. Frey still looked troubled.

Clorica wandered back over, blinking sleepily.

“What’s going on?” she yawned. “Something about a wolf?”

“You explain,” said Doug, heading back towards the store. “I gotta check on Granny. C’mon Kiel!”

“But, I…” he looked doubtfully between Clorica and Frey. “Uh, ok I guess…”

“It seems the bath house is unattended,” said Xiao Pai. “I had best be heading back.”

“And I was in the middle of the accounts!” said Lin Fa. “I mustn’t leave those lying around!”

Clorica looked expectantly at Frey.

Frey felt stiff, drained, sore, and hadn’t slept for about 24 hours. “...Want some tea?” she offered weakly.

Clorica’s face lit up with a smile. “I would love some!” she said.

Silver was happy. Master looked tired, smelled of strange monsters and stranger places, but she was fine, and she was back. To Silver, all was well.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! I tried to make Silver's behaviour similar to (what I know of) real wolves and wolfdogs, at least as far as the skittishness and separation anxiety go. The main reason I chose the Silver Wolf, though, is because p much everyone gets one, and I wanted it to be a monster we all know. Plus, the green fairy can talk, and that wouldn't really have worked with the story.
> 
> (hmm, anything else i want to over-explain.......) i originally wasn't gonna name or gender silver, but i thought that 'it' and 'they' were more distracting than 'she', and using variations of 'the silver wolf' got clunky after a while. also, i intentionally left the protagonist's gender ambiguous until the end. thoughts?
> 
> Again, thanks for reading! This is my first Rune Factory fic, so I'm interested in feedback~


End file.
